Hao – Native American Heritage Month

About two months ago, I submitted a saliva sample to 23andMe, the genetic testing service. They test for disease markers, genetic traits, and geographic heritage. I learned a lot of really interesting things about myself; my husband learned even more about himself. (Because he’s male, he was able to learn both the maternal and paternal information.) One of the most interesting things I learned was that I have about 1% Native American ancestry. I am a red-head with zero Native American features. Now, with only 1%, I can’t be expected to have that noble bearing, lovely dark skin, and rich black hair, though it is possible. But it’s still fascinating to know that it’s there, inside me. I figure, somewhere along my long line of Quebec ancestry, some trapper claimed a Native American wife. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it. Anyway, it has potential romantic appeal.

Which brings me to today’s holiday: November is Native American Heritage Month. I think we are prone to forget about the US’s Native Americans. They’re a smaller and smaller percentage (currently about 1%) of the population and aren’t particularly “visible” to most Americans. Here, in Canada, aboriginals are called “First Nations People.” They’re about 5% of the population and growing rapidly.

These are people with a deep heritage and lively culture. I hope you’ll think about Native Americans during the month of November, especially as the US goes forward to celebrate Thanksgiving, a holiday that wouldn’t exist had it not been for friendly Native Americans a long time ago.